No-Till Organic Grain Production Trials
go.ncsu.edu/readext?277142
en Español / em Português
El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.
Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.
Português
Inglês é o idioma de controle desta página. Na medida que haja algum conflito entre o texto original em Inglês e a tradução, o Inglês prevalece.
Ao clicar no link de tradução, um serviço gratuito de tradução será ativado para converter a página para o Português. Como em qualquer tradução pela internet, a conversão não é sensivel ao contexto e pode não ocorrer a tradução para o significado orginal. O serviço de Extensão da Carolina do Norte (NC State Extension) não garante a exatidão do texto traduzido. Por favor, observe que algumas funções ou serviços podem não funcionar como esperado após a tradução.
English
English is the controlling language of this page. To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls.
Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please note that some applications and/or services may not function as expected when translated.
Collapse ▲By: Carrie Brinton and Dr. Chris Reberg-Horton, Dept of Crop Science
Weed management is a huge challenge in organic grain production. We are currently studying an innovative system developed by the Rodale Institute in Pennsylvania. This management approach is known as “roll-kill/no-till”. Under this system, a cover crop is planted in the fall. In the spring, when the cover crop has come into bloom, it is rolled down with a crimper roller to effectively kill the cover crop as it lays it down. The cover crop then serves as a mulch layer for the grain crop that is planted with a no-till planter immediately after roll-down. Unlike conventional no-till systems that rely on herbicides to burndown the cover crop, this system has potential in organic production because the cover crop is killed by the crimper roller, therefore overcoming the need for herbicides. The other unique aspect: organic production can be no-till, which provides many benefits – from soil moisture to organic matter and beyond. The mulch layer hinders weed germination and drastically reduces competition with the crop, allowing farmers reprieve from cultivation as their weed management tool.
Success for killing the cover crop depends on the crop being in full bloom. In order to determine which cover crops work well in this region and compliment the planting schedule for corn and soybean, we planted 20 varieties at 7 locations, from Salisbury to Tyner.
In fall 2008, we planted 6 rye varieties that will be followed this spring by a soybean crop. We planted 14 legume varieties, including – berseem clover, subterranean clover, sweet clover, crimson clover, hairy vetch, common vetch, winter pea and blue lupine – that will be followed with a corn crop.
In addition to variety selections, we have 3 dates scheduled for each legume variety to be rolled-down. The same concept applies for rye followed by soybean; however, since there is less variability in rye flowering, only 2 roll dates are scheduled. This information will allow us to determine which varieties are more appropriate for early, mid and late plantings. For all varieties, we will be assessing kill rates and weed suppression. For legumes, we will also assess the nitrogen content of each legume variety to determine which ones maximize nitrogen contribution to the system.
There are field visits scheduled at our various locations for anyone interested in seeing the system firsthand.